The Tudor Cuckoos
by HistoryGal
Summary: Shortly after Anne's first miscarriage in 1534, Henry's wishes for an heir are answered when every woman he has ever slept with gets pregnant at the same time. Note: Not my idea. Posted by ReganX on the Challenges thread.
1. Chapter 1

Prologue

Henry sighed as he heard the gentle rhythm of Anne's breath. It was 1534, and instead of lying on separate sides of the bed, he and Anne should have been gazing happily at her stomach, which would have carried a Prince for England. Instead, their son lay dead in an unmarked grave. '_What did Anne do?' _he wondered, slightly angry. But what had happened, had happened. Even though he was King, and could always find a way to get what he wanted, even by breaking with the Catholic Church, this was one thing he could not control. He could only hope that soon enough, England would have its heir.

Why did God seek to punish him? What had he done to make the King of the Heavens forbid the King of England the one thing he wanted more than anything else? Henry had realized the truth about his incestuous marriage, instead making one that was true. Mary had been declared a bastard, and England was no longer under the power of the corrupt Church. Instead, he was responsible, as it should have been from the start. What else was needed?

Of course, he knew that miscarriages were a normal occurrence. Many ladies of the Court experienced them, and even if his marriage to Katherine was valid, she would probably have had one, although not too the amount that she ended up having. He winced as he remembered the many miscarriages. The five miscarriages and premature deaths had been a blow to him every time. He was deprived of having a large family, as he had hoped for, and his pride had been crushed that men poorer than him had sons. They could not afford his grand palaces, his luxurious clothing, his sumptuous foods, but God had granted them sons.

He could not have a daughter upon the throne after his death. Now, it was even worse than before. Elizabeth was, for now, the heir to the throne, but she was just an infant, and not many supported her. They clamoured around Mary, the daughter that they had believed for so long to be the Princess of Wales. Who knew what her and her mother, both with Spanish blood in their veins, would attempt? If Mary ever got the throne, under the influence of Katherine and other Spaniards, she would undo all of his work – and what would happen to Elizabeth and Anne?

But a son –

Mary's loyal countryside supporters would desert her in favour of a son, even if it was borne of his "concubine". What made them hate Anne so much? He was not in love with her as it was before – when he would do anything to have her, anything to make her his wife – but she was his legal Queen, and their marriage had been declared valid and true by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Yes, a son would solve everything. Anne had conceived quickly for her past two pregnancies, and he could only pray that it would be so for the next.

**Author's Note: The story idea does not belong to me. Rather, I found it on ReganX's Fanfic forum for the Tudors. It is Challenge #4, posted by ReganX, on the Challenge Master List thread. Read here (.net/topic/51905/12262547/1/) to find more information; simply scroll down until you see it.**

**This prologue took place no more than three weeks after Anne's miscarriage. I know that it is short, but it is a prologue, and from what I've read, those are generally shorter than normal chapters. So next time, it will be longer! Another thing to note is that I have only watched up to Season 2, Episode 4 so far. Please don't be angry with me if I mess up as I don't know what happened after that in the show, only what happened in real history, which I won't always be referencing. I plan to watch the rest of the episodes when I can find the time. Also, throughout the story, I will be trying out multiple points of view, so I would like to let you know that if one character insults another, that does not necessarily mean that I hate them. I will just be trying to keep in character.**

**On that topic, please tell me if a character is OOC (Out of Character).**

**Anyways, keep in mind that this is my first Tudors fanfic, so don't be too harsh. I will listen to constructive criticism, so if you dislike something, instead of 'flaming', please nicely give me suggestions. Nice reviews will help me to keep going!**

**The next chapter will be a time jump of four months.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 1

On a crisp Autumn morning, as the leaves swirled in the breeze and squirrels could be seen collecting and hiding nuts, scrambling up trees as quickly as they could, Anne walked around the palace gardens, which, in happier times, before his passion for her had cooled, even up until the time when she was pregnant with Elizabeth, who had been a boy named Edward in their minds back then, Henry and herself had circled what seemed like hundreds of times.

If only a boy hadn't mattered so much to Henry! Why couldn't he be happy with their beautiful daughter, until God granted them a son? _Elizabeth, _Anne thought with a mother's pride, _is as perfect of a daughter as he could possibly want! _She smiled at the thought of her precious child. How proud she had been when Elizabeth had called her "Mama!" when she visited for her first birthday! Surely, Elizabeth should have been enough – at least for now! She would be a good Queen, whether it was of another country, as it most likely would be, or of England, because of some twist of fate.

Thinking of Elizabeth calmed Anne's temper. For, the very reason she had stormed out of the palace and into the gardens was because of her infuriating husband. During their breakfast, as Anne had attempted to coax Henry into going out for a horse ride together – she had even offered that they each invite some friends, in case he simply didn't want to be alone with her – he had nodded absentmindedly while gazing at one of her newest ladies-in-waiting. She wasn't stupid – she knew that often, when Henry wanted a new mistress, he looked to her ladies. Didn't he know how much it hurt her to see that she wasn't enough for him? And especially now, when she was not pregnant and free to lie with him – although, she wished she was pregnant, for Henry was very indulgent with her when she was, and he treated her better, even if he still opted for a mistress.

Her close friend Nan Saville had followed her Queen out, and was hurrying to catch up with her, holding her headdress in one hand, so it wouldn't fall askew, and lifting her gown and petticoats with the other, in order to be able to run without tripping. They had been close friends for six years, ever since 1528; Anne trusted her above all others, probably as much as she did her brother George. Anne slowed to a walk, waiting for her lady to catch up with her. "Nan, perhaps you can answer a question that I have been puzzling over ever since I married the King?" Anne asked her friend rather sarcastically.

Guessing what the question would be, having witnessed the scene at breakfast, Nan asked Anne a question herself. "Your Majesty, surely you wish to eat something? One of the maids could have some sweets brought to your chambers."

"I have no appetite at the moment," Anne sighed, dropping onto a carved stone bench. Looking at the colourful trees, shining in shades of red, orange and yellow, she searched her brain for a way to remove Henry's latest interest from his mind. She certainly couldn't play the Mistress Luke trick again, so she would have to think of another excuse. What would make Henry stop paying attention to –

"Your Majesty? Your Majesty!"

~x~

Doctor Lineacre was on his way to his room when he heard someone call his name. Turning around, he saw a young woman, dressed in a golden dress and matching French hood, approaching him. Judging by what she was wearing, she was one of Queen Anne's ladies. He wondered if her Majesty had called him for an inspection, in order to find out if she was pregnant. Being a doctor at the court of Henry VIII, he knew how anxious his King's wives always were to learn if they were with child.

"Mr. Lineacre! I am glad to have found you!" said the woman, relief evident in her voice. "The Queen and some of her ladies have fainted... it has been hours, yet they still have not woken up!"

"When?" demanded the Royal Physician.

"After breakfast, sir."

Gazing at the setting sun, cushioned by shades of orange, red, pink and purple, Dr. Lineacre calculated the amount of time the Queen and her ladies had been unconscious, and then rushed back to his room to find the proper instruments and potions. Anxiously, the lady in waiting smoothed her gown and followed him.

~x~

By the time the doctor and the lady in waiting, who he found out was named Elizabeth Holland, returned to the Queen's chambers, several of Her Majesty's ladies had already left for the Dining Hall. Only a few remained to tend to the Queen, who was lying on her bed, covered by warm layers of blankets and furs. Candles melted away in pools of wax in the darkest corners of the room, and the aroma of the last roses of the year infested his nose. After he treated the Queen, he would check on her other ladies.

Throughout the half hour he spent there, Dr. Lineacre set to work, trying out various herbal mixtures and procedures he had learned but had not often needed to use. The Queen did not have a fever, or any other illness, and appeared to be sleeping; and yet, being (gently) shaken or called to by her ladies, smelling the strong scent of lavender oil, and other tricks that had worked before did nothing. Finally, he gave up.

"I am not sure what is wrong," he admitted, "but I am going to check on her Majesty's ladies, to see if I can perhaps wake them. If there are any changes, inform me."

However, nothing worked for the others either and he left the chamber in the same quiet state he had entered it in. This puzzled the physician greatly. Doctor Lineacre had dealt with long fainting spells before, but had been able to successfully wake the patients. What was so different about today's case?

~x~

Meanwhile, far away from the richly decorated palace that Anne lay in, a similar dilemma had occurred in a gloomy mansion in the More. In her new 'home', Katherine of Aragon, the first Queen of Henry VIII and the only, according to many, lay in her bed, still and quiet. One might have thought her dead if it weren't for the slow rise and fall of her chest. As candles flickered in the quickly darkening room, Elizabeth Darell looked at her Mistress with an expression of worry before setting her needlework down and checking Katherine's temperature. It was still normal – warm, but not hot.

Elizabeth knew that her Queen's – she would never refer to that Boleyn whore by Katherine's true title – health was slowly fading, just as the leaves colours had faded from their youthful green, to red and orange, and finally shrivelled up, dark brown and dead. It wasn't only physical, it was also emotional. How dare the King set his rightful wife aside, only because he had taken a fancy to another woman! How dare he cause her even more pain, by separating her from her daughter, the Princess Mary? Mentally, Elizabeth laughed at herself. Why did she ask such questions, even if no one else knew? She already knew the answer, and it was simple.

Henry VIII was King, and whatever he wanted, he would get.

She sighed.

Katherine and herself had been doing their morning prayers, as was usual, when the Queen suddenly slumped forwards. She had been unconscious for the whole day, and now, with silence growing, and the world slipping into darkness, Elizabeth feared it would be for all night as well.

**Author's Note: The story idea does not belong to me. Rather, I found it on ReganX's Fanfic forum for the Tudors. It is Challenge #4, posted by ReganX, on the Challenge Master List thread. Read here (.net/topic/51905/12262547/1/) to find more information; simply scroll down until you see it.**

**I'm not completely happy with the way the fainting played out – but I wasn't quite sure how to write it. I'm also disappointed with the length; for some reason, I can't really write long chapters, though I want too. Suggestions on what to add to make them larger/better would be appreciated. **


End file.
